


Tomato Juice

by poetroe



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Philosophy, asami is a vampire, korra has adhd, the way i've been projecting on this fic is INSANE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 17:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21257135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetroe/pseuds/poetroe
Summary: Unsurprisingly, she turns back to Korra with her trusted tomato juice, drinking it straight from the carton. “Even at home, huh?” Korra grins. Asami swallows and lowers the carton with a grin of her own.“You know it,” she says, but Korra is distracted by a stray red drop, that clings to the corner of Asami’s mouth and slowly starts making its way down her chin. Without thinking, Korra reaches out and swipes it away with her thumb. Asami, who feels like a statue under her finger, freezes the moment she does.“This kinda tastes like blood,” Korra says, as she sticks her thumb in her mouth. “I think your tomato juice may be past its due date.”A modern/college/supernatural korrasami au. Happy Halloween!!!





	Tomato Juice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inkwelled](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkwelled/gifts).

> i guess yall have my philosophy minor and my adhd to thank for this fic !!! usually im a bit wary of projecting my personal experiences in my fics because i don't want the characters to seem ooc, but i guess it worked for this one. i wanna dedicate this fic to ames, who has finally written her first korrasami fic (!! check out her work !!) and everyone who continues to endure me whine about my writing on twitter. enjoy and happy halloween !!!!!

It’s six in the evening and Korra hurries across campus. The lecture that’s she’s supposed to be in right now is in the building that’s the farthest from the place she likes to get food, so with big strides and a packed burger and fries, she makes her way there. She’s exactly five minutes late when Korra opens the door to the lecture hall and makes her way inside. The lecturer, a tall man with wild white hair notices her as she silently takes a seat in the first row, but doesn’t stop his story. ‘Early Enlightenment’ in bold letters is projected on the large wall behind him, as well as some bullets on Voltaire, Montesquieu and another philosopher named Bayle. Korra slumps down in her seat and sighs.

As the lecturer goes on about the rise of the public domain in eighteenth century France, Korra glances at the girl next to her, who is listening intently, jotting down notes every now and then. Her face is very symmetrical and her eyes are a pale green, that seem almost yellow in the lamplight. She’s altogether very beautiful, Korra notes as she gets out her own notebook.

After an hour, the lecturer declares a short break. Korra doesn’t know anybody else in this lecture hall, so she taps the girl next to her on her shoulder.

“Hey, uh, I came in a little late. Did I miss anything?” she asks. Though this is only the very first lecture of this course and it’s unlikely she missed anything crucial, Korra still feels it’s important that she knows. Philosophy is far from what she usually does and she’s willing to make any extra effort to make sure she passes this elective.

The girl smiles at her and thumbs through her little notebook. “Just the introduction to the course, really,” she says, in a low voice that of course, is beautiful too. “You know how that goes.”

“Yeah,” Korra says, smiling awkwardly. “So, are you a full time philosophy student?”

“No, I’m just taking this as an elective,” the girl answers. “I’m actually studying to be an engineer.” Korra’s eyes widen.

“Woah, that’s really cool.” The girl just throws her long, black hair over one shoulder and grins.

“Yeah I suppose,” she says. “What do you do?”

“Global culture studies,” Korra answers. She unpacks the fast food she had completely forgotten about ever since sitting down and sticks a fry in her mouth. “This is an elective for me, too—I actually wanted to do one on migration and identity, but I missed the deadline and it was already full. This one wasn’t.”

“Ah,” the girls smiles. “I think I just liked that the classes for this course are at night.” There’s a shimmer of something mischievous in her eye that makes Korra want to listen to her some more.

“I’m Korra, by the way,” she says as she holds out her hand. The girl grabs it with her own, very cold one.

“Asami,” she says. “Nice to meet you, Korra.”

“You want one?” Korra asks, holding out a fry, but Asami just snorts and shakes her head.

“No thanks.”

***

Korra is starting to get convinced that, unlike Immanuel Kant said, free will doesn’t actually exist. If it did, her eyes wouldn’t find Asami’s on their own accord, anytime she made it to the lecture in the nick of time. If it did, she certainly wouldn’t have to awkwardly shuffle past three people in the already cramped lecture hall seats, just to get a place next to Asami.

The fact remains that she does, for every evening lecture they’ve had these past two weeks, and she and Asami have become something like friends. And as friends do, Korra has offered her some of her food in every lecture they’ve attended together. The Early Enlightenment lectures are from six until eight, so Korra always brings some food that’s supposed to pass for dinner, or snacks to keep her from starving until then. Asami is the polar opposite. In the two weeks Korra has known her, she’s never seen her do anything but drink tomato juice from a bottle.

“You must really like tomato juice, huh,” Korra says as they walk out of the lecture hall together one night, tugging on her scarf a little. Asami shrugs as she puts the bottle back in her bag, then smirks at her.

“It’s a weird thing to drink, I know,” she says. “But it’s actually tasty, and really nutritious.” Her words are accompanied with a smile that shows her perfect teeth, her canines seeming just a little more defined—Korra shakes her head quickly, and refocuses.

“I should try it sometime,” she says, as she looks up at the night sky. It’s a clear night, maybe a bit too cold for fall, but the stars are very visible. Korra thinks maybe she recognizes Orion. She doesn’t realize she stopped walking until there’s a hand on her shoulder.

“I have to go,” Asami says with an apologetic smile. “Will I see you tomorrow?” Smiling back feels like second nature by now.

“Yeah, bright and— Well, not early,” Korra chuckles. Asami’s hand slides down to rest on Korra’s upper arm as she laughs, leaning in bit closer in the process. It makes her feel all warm inside, something pleasant with the way her breath is coming out in little clouds.

“Come on, walk with me,” Asami mutters, a grin playing around her mouth. “We don’t want you getting sick.” Still with her hand snugly around Korra’s bicep, they make their way to the parking lot.

“You’re one to talk.” Korra eyes Asami’s outfit; nothing more than an elegant blouse with a coat, that’s open and flapping in the breeze. “I can’t believe you aren’t freezing.”

“Oh, I just run hot.”

“Right,” Korra replies. “Your hands are literally always popsicles. I bet you’re wearing some kind of thermal underneath that blouse.”

“What can I say,” Asami replies as she fishes her keys out of her bag; as soon as she has them, she fixes Korra with a playful smirk. “A girl never tells.” Korra huffs a laugh as Asami enters her car and starts it.

“Alright then, keep your secrets,” Korra says, smiling. “See ya. Drive safe.”

“I always do,” Asami grins, after which she closes the door, revs the engine and shoots off with a speed that’s totally inappropriate for a parking lot. Korra looks at the disappearing taillights, smiling and just a bit awestruck.

***

No offense to David Hume—the lecturer is discussing his theories in depth but Korra isn’t really retaining the information right now, though her copy of the Dialogues and Natural History of Religion does make for a good place to rest her head on. She’s actually almost asleep when a sharp pinch in her side jolts Korra from her somewhat comfortable position.

Blinking against the harsh lamps of the lecture hall, Korra glances at the culprit.

“Were you actually asleep?” Asami whispers, an inquisitive look on her face. With a sigh, Korra stretches a little, before leaning backward and slumping in the seat.

“Almost,” she whispers back. “I was up late because I had a deadline for a cultural studies course. The entire night, I could barely focus. I don’t even know how I managed to hand it in on time.”

“Ah, well, now that you’re mentioning deadlines,” Asami starts apologetically, and Korra can feel an entirely new source of stress drop like a weight on her stomach. “Did you start the Socratic dialogue assignment yet?” Korra turns to Asami.

“Up until two seconds ago, I had actually completely forgotten about that,” she admits with a sheepish grin. “Why, is it difficult?”

“It’s okay,” Asami says softly, with a sympathetic smile. “I was actually going to ask if you wanted to work on it together. It’s supposed to be a group project with up to three people per group, but I thought we could team up, just the two of us.” Somehow, just like that, the weight on Korra’s stomach doesn’t feel all that heavy anymore.

“Sure,” she grins. “Wanna meet up after school today?”

“Yes,” Asami smiles back. “We can take my car.”

“Only if you don’t drive like a maniac,” Korra answers, pouting slightly. “No matter how many theories have been conceived about life after death, I don’t think I’m ready to find out the answer just yet.” They’re still in the middle of a lecture, so Asami has to cover her mouth to stay silent when she laughs.

“Death isn’t anything to fear,” she replies, smiling mysteriously before turning her attention back to her notes. “But don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.” The blush that rushes up her cheeks comes out of nowhere and stuns Korra into silence, so she turns her attention back to the lecturer.

A few minutes pass and Korra’s hands are busy fidgeting with the edges of Hume’s book. She knows she should be taking notes, but the lectures are recorded and since she and Asami are doing the group project together, Korra knows she can always ask for Asami’s notes, if she needs to. Her mind starts to drift to what it will be like, being alone with her. No other people, no other distractions, just the two of them, at Asami’s place. Korra wonders what Asami’s house looks like. Her gut says Asami is probably a very neat and organized person, if the way she takes notes is anything to go by. Suddenly, the possibility of her having a pet presents itself to her and Korra is left imagining Asami with a tabby cat, or a shiba dog…

Needless to say, the lecture is over in the blink of an eye.

***

Turns out her gut was right. The first thing Korra notices when she enters Asami’s studio apartment is that there is not a thing out of place. It’s small but sleek, no clutter in sight, with big windows on one side that overlook the city. Korra is at them immediately, staring out at the thin clouds streaked across the sky, seemingly on fire in the light of the setting sun, and the sea of lights below it.

“This view is amazing,” she breathes. Asami comes to stand next to her.

“I’ve lived here for _years_,” she says. “It truly never gets old.”

“I can imagine.” Korra turns back to Asami, who is already watching her quietly. “Alright,” she continues, shaking her head a little as if to rid it from the distractions that are the city, stretching out below, and Asami’s captivatingly perfect features. “Let’s get started.”

For the Socratic dialogue, they settle on the concept of love. The general aim is to define the concept in different ways, by different interlocutors, and through a dialogue and thought experiments, create synthesis between their viewpoints.

“Kind of like Hume does in the dialogue, right?” Korra mentions, as she flips through her copy. It’s a mess of underlined text, clarifications scribbled in the margins and the central arguments of Cleanthes, Philo and Demea highlighted sloppily throughout. It is, however, a clear sign that she’s read the book; something Asami hadn’t been expecting if the surprised look on her face is anything to go by. “Yes, I actually read it,” Korra grins.

“And here I thought you were just using it as a travel pillow,” Asami says, smiling back. “But yes, exactly like that. Do you have any ideas on who our interlocutors should be?” Korra hums under her breath as she thinks about it.

“We should represent the most common definitions. So, perhaps love as a chemical reaction in the brain, as the scientific definition.” She writes it down in her notebook as she speaks.

“And the linguistic definition,” Asami adds. “As in love, the way it is defined in literature and art.” It’s added to the list.

“Exactly!” Though they’ve really only known each other for a handful of weeks, they work together surprisingly well, Korra thinks. She shares another smile with Asami; it carries a familiarity that Korra imagines would take any other person years to achieve. Somehow, Asami has disarmed her in a matter of days.

After an hour of hard work, they’ve pegged down the interlocutors, the general construction of the dialogue and the definition they will eventually end up with.

“We’ve deserved a break, I think,” Asami says as she stretches, before getting up and walking to the kitchen. “Are you hungry? I completely skipped dinner today.”

“No, I ate something before class,” Korra says, following her to the kitchen regardless. It’s small, tucked away in one corner of the apartment. “But I forget to eat like, half the time, so I get it.” Asami shoots her a sympathetic smile before opening the refrigerator and rummaging through its contents. Unsurprisingly, she turns back to Korra with her trusted tomato juice, drinking it straight from the carton. “Even at home, huh?” Korra grins. Asami swallows and lowers the carton with a grin of her own.

“You know it,” she says, but Korra is distracted by a stray red drop, that clings to the corner of Asami’s mouth and slowly starts making its way down her chin. Without thinking, Korra reaches out and swipes it away with her thumb. Asami, who feels like a statue under her finger, freezes the moment she does.

“This kinda tastes like blood,” Korra says, as she sticks her thumb in her mouth. “I think your tomato juice may be past its due date.” Asami’s eyes are still wide and staring at her, so Korra defaults to an awkward smile. “What?”

“I—uh, I think I need to come clean about something,” Asami mutters as she puts down the carton. She walks back to the table, then over to the large windows, running her hand through her long, jet black hair as she does. Korra stays rooted in the kitchen, watching. “God, I don’t even know where to start.” It’s probably directed at herself rather than at Korra, but she answers anyway.

“You can tell me anything. I promise you won’t scare me off.” Asami fixes her with a grimace.

“I sincerely doubt that.” With a sigh, Asami plops down on the couch; Korra doesn’t hesitate to join her. “I’m a vampire,” she says after a while, staring at the lights of the city. Korra’s jaw drops. “And that was actually blood.”

“Wait—” she starts, but as soon as she says it, Korra realizes it does make a lot of sense. Her cold skin, her intoxicating features, the fact that she’d never seen her eat or drink anything except that tomato juice… Also the fact that she lives in an apartment this gorgeous. No actual twenty-something could be able to afford to live in a place with this view. “So—” Korra starts again, eyes moving from the city back to Asami. “Do you even like tomato juice?” Asami glances at her with a questioning look.

“Uh, I’ve never tried it, to be honest,” she says. “But—that’s not the part you should be focusing on, right now. I’ve just told you I’m an _actual vampire_.”

“Yeah,” Korra answers, bumping their shoulders together tenderly. “And I have ADHD. It’s an identity trait; it’s not like that defines who you are.” Asami stares at her for a full five seconds before she snorts.

“Only you could take something like this, this well.” There is a relieved smile on her face and Korra mirrors it, easily.

“Well, yeah,” she murmurs, leaning against Asami a bit more. “You’re pretty special, you know? Hasn’t got anything to do with being a vampire.”

“You’re the first one to see it that way,” Asami answers. “That makes you pretty special, too.” The grin on Korra’s face is so wide it nearly splits her lip, but none of that matters when Asami bridges the last distance that remained, and kisses her.

Suddenly, the definition of a vampire flashes through Korra’s mind. A bloodsucking dead person, an expert seducer at that. She comes up for air and looks deeply into Asami’s pale green eyes. They’re soft and the way they’re looking back at her could almost be described as reverential. The hardness of her skin, the chill of her lips, none of it means anything, because this isn’t a vampire. It’s just Asami, who by some miracle seems to like her just as much as Korra likes her. That knowledge makes Korra grin once more and as she sneaks an arm around Asami’s waist, she leans in to kiss her a second time, and a third, and a fourth, until she loses count.

Whatever chemicals are released in her brain right now, Korra doesn’t know—but she’s pretty sure that this feeling of absolute weightlessness in her chest can be called love.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me if u wanna stay up to date with my projects !! @korrasweed on twitter
> 
> thanks for reading, stay spoopy uwu


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